Insights Hub

LEISURE

Private equity firm Connection Capital has acquired a small stake in Rosa’s Thai Café from TriSpan which will help Rosa’s target of a UK-wide roll-out over the next five years. Established in 2008 by Alex and Saiphin Moore, the restaurant chain is now run by ex-Wahaca director Gavin Adair as chief executive and former YO! chief executive Robin Rowland as Chairman. The investment will see the chain expand from the existing 17 restaurants mainly located in London to 45 sites that will consist of both restaurants and grab-and-go outlets. 

Apple Butter, the Qatar-based dessert concept, is to open its first UK site in Covent Garden having secured the former Balans Soho Society site in Monmouth Street. Apple Butter, who specialise in homemade desserts, speciality coffee and gourmet salads and sandwiches, will open the first site before Christmas with a further five outlets planned.

St Austell Brewery has secured a long-term lease on The Harbour Light, a grade II-listed site in Paignton once used as a fish cellar and net store. The site, once restored, will comprise of a bar and dining venue with outdoor balcony seating, a coffee shop and a takeaway.

Yo! Kitchen, the new full-service restaurant concept has opened at London’s Westfield White City shopping centre this week offering 40 Japanese-inspired sharing plates including curry, ramen and sashimi ‘pizza’. Sushi will still be offered at the 2,400 sq ft restaurant but will be delivered by waiters rather than their famous conveyor belt.

RETAIL

Named after the founders Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer, M&S has revealed that it is behind the exclusive menswear pop-up that has been spotted in Soho. Mike & Tom’s invites locals and tourists to see the very best of M&S Menswear for Autumn/Winter in a bespoke environment.  It is being run by M&S colleagues from across the UK who are champions of their menswear and will demonstrate the improvements in style credentials thereby hoping to appeal to a wider customer base. 

Marks and Spencer has opened a second new-format food store in Clapham, south London complete with a vertical-farming solution. The new store, called SW11, has been designed to help ‘provide more sustainable solutions’ for the retailer in a partnership with Infarm. The first of the new-look stores opened in Hempstead Valley, Kent last month. The Clapham store has a few extra features that aren’t at the Kent store including a glitter-ball pizza oven and fresh herbs grown and sold in store.

PROPERTY

Cheltenham-based developer Robert Hitchins Ltd and Vienna-headquartered European outlet operating company ROS Retail Outlet Shopping have revealed plans for a new 195,000 sq ft designer village that will be built at Junction 9 of the M5 motorway in Gloucestershire. Designer Outlet Cotswolds will open in two phases, the first of which is expected to open towards the end of 2021, and will offer 90 retail units, restaurants and cafés. The outlet will form part of a larger retail development that will include a new 81,800 sq ft garden centre alongside the existing M&S supermarket, Starbucks and BP petrol station.

A joint venture between NewRiver and BRAVO Strategies III has agreed to acquire Poole Retail Park in a £44.7m deal. The retail park is located between the town centres of Bournemouth and Poole and comprises of 14 units and 208,000 sq ft of space.  Retailers already in situ include:  John Lewis at Home, Next Home, Homesense, Boots, DW Sports and Home Bargains.

Stonegate Pub Company, that is owned by private equity company TDR Capital, submitted a bid to take over Ei Group back in July which has now been backed by the majority of shareholders. The acquisition, by TDR Capital, who are behind Yates’s, Slug & Lettuce and Walkabout values Ei Group at approximately £1.3bn.